Yogurt pots and meat trays: food manufacturers agree to finance a recycling sector

Of all the plastic waste that invades the bins, the recycling of polystyrene (PS), expanded or not, which is found in yoghurt pots or meat or fish trays remains very low. A majority of this packaging is buried or incinerated. Of the 100,000 tonnes of polystyrene placed on the French market each year, barely 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes are recycled, in Spain or Germany, into products with "low added value", according to Citeo, a company specializing in the recycling of household packaging. However, the long-term objective set by the government is to achieve 100% recycled plastic.

After 18 months of work, manufacturers such as Lactalis, Yoplait and Bigard gathered within the PS25 group indicated this Thursday in a press release that they "undertake to participate in the financing of the initiation of a French sector for the recycling of polystyrene" in order to "be part of a circular economy".

The challenge is to find a high quality plastic that can be reused for food contact.

So-called chemical recycling, which returns to the original molecule, allows this.

A factory planned by Michelin by 2025

Several announcements of future investments have taken place in recent months for polystyrene chemical recycling plants, which must be established by 2025, identified by Syndifrais, the professional organization of manufacturers of fresh dairy products. Michelin therefore plans to set up a plant by 2025 capable of processing 15 to 20,000 tonnes of PS per year using so-called Pyrowave technology. He has not yet announced the location. The British Ineos also has a factory project in Wingles in the Pas-de-Calais, a pilot unit to start in 2022. Two projects exist in Belgium: one in Antwerp launched by Indaver for 32,000 tonnes of plastic per year including 50% polystyrene; the other launched by Trinseo in Tessenderlo for 15,000 tons of PS per year, identified Syndifrais.

The amount of the financial commitment of the food industry in these projects has not been disclosed.

“A direct investment by the agri-food industry in a recycling plant is possible, but it is not really planned, it would more likely be support for the financing of the purchase of soiled plastic by the ton and especially 'a commitment to the resale price of recycled plastic,' says Sophie Genier, director for materials and recycling at Citeo.